Why does polk not make bigger drivers???
Comments
-
I understand your point but it's not quite so black and white. Yes, a larger driver can give lower response but I don't necessarily agree on the distortion end. Extreme slow motion video has shown that as larger drivers reach break up they do so much more dramatically than do smaller drivers. AND, I should have said smaller driver array. One of the big draws of the whole SDA line (SDA effect aside right now) is how the extremely effective and accurate array (combined with passive radiator) produces very good bass with little distortion and excellent accuracy. Polk Audio understood this a long time ago and their products have reflected it since. So did Bose and several more modern speaker companies but we won't go there right now.
The Bose 901 set up properly puts out a lot of bass. As I recall that speaker uses an array of small drivers (4 inch if memory serves). Great sound field.
Having spent the 70s and 80s with a audiophile brother with a rotating cast of equipment I certainly feel there is a difference between bass then and now. In general good modern speakers seem to put out less bass, but are far more articulate. Quality vs quantity.
He had some great kit back then. I can not tell you how many huge boxes we carried upstairs to his music room. -
...Take a look at Fostex drivers. Super efficient and made to run in single driver designs. They're lightning fast. One of the "fastest" sounding speaker I've heard is a single driver using an 8" Fostex. Their drivers are so light that even the 8" model probably weigh less than most 4" drivers (not counting the basket and magnet).
Certainly not an argument against what you are saying, but could you imagine how light they could make a 5 1/4 inch driver? They are starting to come out with some smaller full range drivers that dig fairly deep with point source design and efficiency. Those won't need as large a box as their bigger counter parts. Also a lot of people don't realize that a lot of music doesn't really go that low. I think Polk was ahead of it's time with the 6.5" MW line as for digging deep and being fairly efficient. The trade off seems to be that you wouldn't want to cross them higher than 2.5k.Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
Thanks
Ben -
A 8" driver with a 2mm x-max, why bother?"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
-
Ben,
That is true. They also make small drivers out of the same material. I was just giving one example to the OP of how even a large driver can be very light.
Face,
I dont see anything wrong with that. It's the nature of Fostex and Lowther drivers. It makes conventional cabinet designs for them a little more tricky but they're perfect for horn loading as well. -
Hey Face doesn't a driver with higher Xmas cause more breakup(or something) at the higher frequencies of a full range driver?
Thanks
BenPlease. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
Thanks
Ben -
It must have alot to do with how the speakers made,,, I mean, saying a bigger driver is better,, would be like saying the RT7,s 7 1/2 driver, can outperform the lsi7,s 5 1/2 driver, i just dont see that happing,,, its gotta be the tecnoledgy they use with the smaller driver,,Not an Audiophile, just a dude who loves music, and decent gear to hear it with.
-
I don't believe it has a direct correlation.Hey Face doesn't a driver with higher Xmas cause more breakup(or something) at the higher frequencies of a full range driver?
Thanks
Ben"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -
It must have alot to do with how the speakers made,,, I mean, saying a bigger driver is better,, would be like saying the RT7,s 7 1/2 driver, can outperform the lsi7,s 5 1/2 driver, i just dont see that happing,,, its gotta be the tecnoledgy they use with the smaller driver,,
No no no. Not saying bigger is better. Just giving an example of how bigger drivers can sound just as fast as smaller ones.
There are just too many variables involved. cone material, magnet strength, sensitivity, the speaker cabinet itself, and the list goes on and on.
My friend and I compared my Klipsch RF-35 (8" woofers) to his RF-10 (4.5") and there was no comparison. The RF-35 left the RF-10 in the dust. Also the Klipsch La Scala houses a 15" woofer and it sounds waaaay faster than the RF-35's 8".
I also have the LSi9. And as good as they are, the single driver 8" Fostex makes the LSi sound slow and sluggish.
So I'm just saying that smaller is not better ALL the time. If that was the case, we would all be running Bose cubes.
